21 February 2011

In my last post, on the Dutch fashion house of oilily, I mentioned that I have always thought it would be fun to decorate a gypsy caravan, in the South of France. That got me thinking: a gypsy caravan loaded with oilily fabrics and accents - how amazingly GREAT would that be??!! I could imagine a smattering of other designers I'd add to the mix.

Before I get to my caravan, here's a little historical backgroundcolor:

For many, many generations, there have been gypsies (lesgitans) in the South of France - throughout Provence, and most notably, in the Camargue region, in the Rhone delta, near Spain. The Camargue is a beautiful, mostly marshy, area - a land of white horses, pink flamingos, black bulls and rainbow attired gypsies.

Cowboys of the Camargue (lesguardians in French).

The gypsies' religious ceremonies become must-attend pilgrimages for many who live outside of the Camargue (above postcard from 1925).

two Marys (les Saintes Maries de la Mer) and the saint called "Black Sarah".

Throughout the region, old gypsy caravans (les roulottes) can occasionally be spotted, some of which have been renovated for use by homeowners - some even for rent as part of bed and breakfast vacations.

Paintings by Henri Manguin (above) and Vincent Van Gogh (below).

If you are interested in buying your own fully decorated roulotte in Provence, there are none better than those offered by boho clothing and interior designer, Jeanne Bayol. Here are some of Jeanne's inspired interiors for caravans:

Howcould anyonenotbehappysurroundedbythesegloriouscolors?!

A selection of Jeanne Bayol's funky clothing designs.

And it's the perfect gift for the man or woman who "has everything"! The Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood received this caravan as a birthday gift from his wife. How is she going to top that one next year??

This brand new model was recently shown at Paris's Maison et Objet show.

With inspiration like this, I am now ready to design my own virtual caravan, so let's go shopping!

Paint colors:

Anything bright and cheery - the more bohemian combinations, the better! I would use primaries sparingly, opting in favor of secondary & tertiary colors such as violet, saffron, raspberry, turquoise, lime, periwinkle, kumquat...